Anti-contamination dispensing apparatus for fluids

ABSTRACT

A dispensing apparatus for fluids from a storage vessel in which air flows into the storage vessel (1) while the fluid is being dispensed to compensate pressure. In this dispensing apparatus is provided, filters for sterilizing, degerminating or reducing germs are provided in the air intake area and, separately from this, filters for sterilizing, degerminating or reducing germs in the fluid are provided in at least one part of the fluid outlet. This means that a dispensing apparatus can be provided which can be adapted to available conventional storage vessels and filling systems, and which efficiently protects the fluid in the storage vessel from becoming contaminated at reasonable costs so that the use of preservatives is rendered unnecessary. This dispensing apparatus can be a pump (2) or it can be formed such that the storage vessel is a squeezy bottle (31).

The invention relates to dispensing apparatus for fluids in which airflows back to effect pressure compensation according to the preamble ofclaim 1.

Conventional dispensing apparatus or metering pumps for pharamaceuticalsand cosmetics are known. Such dispensing apparatus are mounted on astorage vessel for the fluid which is to be dispensed. In order toprevent a partial vacuum from being created in the storage vessel whenthe fluid is dispensed, ambient air flows into the storage vessel. Thedrawback of such dispensing apparatus is that the incoming air containsgerms and therefore contaminates the fluid in the storage vessel.Furthermore, the fluid becomes contaminated at the outlet as a result ofcontact with the surroundings. This contamination can intermingle withthe stored fluid in the storage vessel during the fluid's path to theoutlet and also contaminate this fluid. In the case of pharmaceuticalsand cosmetics, such a contamination leads to spoiled goods and dangerfor the user.

For this reason, so-called "airless systems" have been developed inwhich pressure compensation in the storage vessel is unnecessary, i.e.ambient air does not have to flow into the storage vessel. This isachieved by a special type of storage vessel. There are storage vesselswith drag pistons in which the volume of the storage vessel is reducedduring dispensing of the fluid by means of a drag piston. The drawbackis that only cylindrical storage vessels can be used. Furthermore, thereare also double-walled storage vessels in which the stored fluid islocated in a ductile inner bag and incoming ambient air is taken up forpressure compensation between a fixed outer vessel and a workable innervessel. There are also storage vessels in which germ-free air is takenup under increased inner pressure. The drawback of all these systems isthat a special receptacle is required for the dispensing apparatus. Thismakes the system very expensive to produce and means that it cannot beadapted to conventional storage vessels and filling systems alreadyavailable. Furthermore, such a system is also very expensive so it isnot possible to use it for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in the lowerprice range without employing preservatives. Irrespective of the pricerange of the products, preservatives entail harmful effects for theconsumer. They are dubious substances and lead to undesireable sideeffects.

The object underlying the invention is to provide an apparatus of thetype mentioned above for the repeated dispensing of fluids from a storewith pressure compensation being obtained by means of air which protectsthe stored fluid from being contaminated with germs and thus renders theuse of preservatives unnecessary.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a dispensingapparatus for fluids which can be adapted to conventional storagevessels and which can be produced at reasonable costs.

This object is achieved by the features claimed in claim 1.

Further embodiments are revealed by the subclaims.

The present invention uses a fluid dispensing apparatus in which thepath of the fluid to the outlet is guided, at least in one part,separately from the air inlet path for the air which is intended toreach the supply vessel for pressure compensation. In this way, theair-borne germs and fluid germs can be made ineffective separately fromone another. This has the advantage that different methods can be usedfor degerminating the fluid and the air, each of which methods can beadapted to the different needs. The degermination of or the reduction ingerms in the fluid occurs in the region of the fluid's outward path bymeans of oligodynamically effective substances. Heavy metals and/orheavy metal alloys in metallic and/or ionic form can be used. The use ofsilver has proven particularly favourable. The degermination orreduction of germs in the fluid in the area of the fluid's path to theoutlet has the effect that no germs from the outlet coming into contactwith the surroundings can pass past the valve against the flow of thefluid (e.g. by proliferation) to reach the storage vessel and that thegerm-free fluid from the storage vessel is not contaminated bycontaminated residue (e.g. on the outlet) when dispensed which wouldmake the microbiological quality of the product the consumer obtainsquestionable. In addition, the growth of germs on the outlet and in allregions of the dispensing apparatus is prevented, in particular in thecase of a pump or a valve.

The degermination of the air flowing into the storage vessel tocompensate pressure can also be achieved by other methods suited todealing with air-borne germs. Thus, the air can be guided through asterile filter on its way into the apparatus or can pass into thestorage vessel after permeation by means of a membrane located in theair passage. In this way, the air-borne terms can be effectivelyrestricted. Furthermore, the air can be guided past absorbent orabsorptive materials which trap the air-borne germs on its way in. Inthis method, electrostatic forces especially can be used. Furthermore,the degermination of the air can also be achieved by usingoligodynamically effective substances arranged in the inward path of theair. It is also important that these means can be combined, e.g. germsare absorbed by agents which also have microbicidal properties.

A further advantage produced by the separate degermination of the fluidand the air is that substances used for sterilising the air do not comeinto contact with the fluid. This prevents any foreign substancespassing into the fluid and therefore prevents the consumer from beingconfronted with these substances.

The dispensing apparatus can be a pump which is placed on top of aconventional storage vessel. The paths of the outgoing fluid andincoming air which are, at least in one part, guided separately, can beintegrated into the pump.

Furthermore, the storage vessel can be designed as a squeezy bottle fordispensing the fluid. In this case, a valve is provided at the fluidoutlet to improve the favourability of this embodiment.

In the following, exemplified embodiments of the present invention willbe explained in detail with the help of the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 shows, as an example, a dispensing apparatus in which means areused for degerminating the fluid and, in a separate process, fordegerminating the inflowing air.

FIG. 2 shows a further exemplified embodiment in which the storagevessel is formed as a squeezy bottle as the dispensing apparatus.

In a first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a suction/pressure pump 2is used whose construction is demonstrated by the drawing. Thesuction/pressure pump 2 is placed tightly on top of the (only partiallyillustrated) fluid storage vessel 1 by means of the conical nipple 12. Apiston 3 with an axial pump channel 7 works in the pressure cylinder 8.The piston 3 is held in its upper resting position by a spring 6 on astopper. The pressure chamber 4, which is connected to the axial pumpingchannel 7, is located between the piston 3 and the ball valve 5. Thepiston 3 has a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of thepressure cylinder 8 so that a gap 14 remains between the outer wall ofthe piston and the inner wall of the cylinder which is however sealedfurther downwards by the peripheral sealing lip 9 of the piston. In thebottom region of the pressure chamber 4, the pressure cylinder 8 has asection 10 with a larger inner diameter in which the sealing lip 9 doesnot have a sealing effect. An actuation element 20 placed on the piston3 has an ascending pipe 21 with a pressure control valve 22 fordispensing the fluid through an outlet 23. When the piston 3 is in itsupper position of rest as illustrated in the drawing, the sealing lip 9seals the pressure chamber 4 off from the openings 13 to the fluidvessel. The tappet 11 is fixedly connected to the piston 3 with thesection 15 having a star-shaped cross-section leaving spare a connectionbetween pressure chamber 4 and pump channel 7. When the pump is at rest,the tappet 11 is distanced from the ball valve 5 so that this valveopens the fluid vessel 1 when there is excess pressure in pressurechamber 4 and closes it when low pressure is present. The path of thefluid from the fluid vessel 1 through the dispensing apparatus 2 isdiagrammatically illustrated by the arrow beginning by 27. When the ballvalve 5 is open, the fluid passes through the valve into the pumpchannel 7 and passes through the open pressure valve control 22 to theoutlet 23. In order to prevent contamination of the fluid stored in thefluid container 1, oligodynamically effective substances are arranged onthe outward path of the fluid described above. Thus, these substancescan be arranged for example on the spring 6, the inner walling of thepump channel 7, in the pressure valve control 22 or on the outlet 23.

For compensating pressure in the fluid vessel 1 when dispensing thefluid, air enters the dispensing apparatus from the surroundings at 26and then passes into fluid vessel 1 as illustrated by the arrow in thedrawing. A gap 19 is located on at least one part of the range betweenthe piston 3 and the section 18. Means for degerminating the incomingair are provided in the area of the path for incoming air whichsterilise air. Possible means for doing so are a sterile filter, amembrane through which the air passes by permeation, germ-absorbing orgerm-absorptive materials, oligodynamically effective or microbicidalsubstances and combinations thereof. For example, a sterile filter 25which the air must pass through on its way in can be arranged in theregion 24. Furthermore, the very narrowly formed gap 19 is suitable forapplying, for example, metallic silver as an oligodynamically effectivesubstance.

In a further embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the fluid is dispensed bya squeezy bottle 31. The fluid is dispensed through the fluid outlet 29by squeezing the squeezy bottle 31. A valve 28, for example a checkvalve, is provided on the fluid outlet 29. Agents for degerminating orreducing the germs in the fluid are provided in this valve in the partsin contact with the fluid. Furthermore, the dispensing apparatus in thisexemplified embodiment has an air inlet 30 guided separately from thefluid outlet 29. Means 32 for sterilising, degerminating or reducing thegerms in the incoming air are also provided at the air inlet 30. For thedegermination of the air, a sterile filter 32 can, for example, be usedand for the reduction in germs in or the degermination of the fluid,substances like, for example, silver can be used which have anoligodynamic effect.

It should be emphasised that the degermination of the fluid is carriedout separately from the degermination of the air. This means that it ispossible to provide and selectively use different means for air andfluid degermination. In addition, the disposing apparatus exemplified inthese embodiments are designed such that they can be adapted to anyconventional storage vessel and various pump versions for dispensingvertically and horizontally can be converted to use this system.

The fluid in the storage vessel is efficiently protected fromcontamination in a manner which is good value for money so thatpreservatives are superfluous. Preservatives are dubious substances andlead to undesireable side effects.

I claim:
 1. A dispensing apparatus for fluids from a storage vessel inwhich a fluid is dispensed through a fluid outlet with the aid of a pumpand in which, while the fluid is being dispensed, air flows into thestorage vessel through an air inlet which surrounds the pump, and inwhich a sterile filter is provided for sterilizing, degerminating orreducing germs present in the air to achieve pressure compensation,wherein in a fluid outlet area, surfaces or apparatus which come intocontact with the fluid are provided with substances which have anoligodynamic effect or germ-reducing properties for sterilizing,degerminating or reducing the germs in the fluid, the air inlet isformed by a narrow gap between at least one part of the periphery of apiston of the pump and a casing section, and wherein the sterile filteris arranged within the gap between the periphery of the piston and thecasing section.
 2. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe oligodynamically effective substances are selectively a heavy metaland a heavy metal alloy which is effective in selectively metallic andionic form.
 3. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein saidoligodynamically effective substances consist of silver.
 4. A dispensingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein differing means are provided forsterilizing, degerminating or reducing germs in the air and in thefluid.
 5. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein metallicsilver is arranged as an oligodynamically effective substance in saidnarrow gap.
 6. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, whereinagents for degerminating the incoming air in the sterile filter consistof oligodynamically effective substances.
 7. A dispensing apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein agents for degerminating the incoming airin the sterile filter consist of oligodynamically effective substances.8. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein agents fordegerminating the incoming air in the sterile filter consist ofoligodynamically effective substances.
 9. A dispensing apparatusaccording to claim 5, wherein agents for degerminating the incoming airin the sterile filter consist of oligodynamically effective substances.